Nasal cytological examination in patients with allergic rhinitis

Introduction:

The nasal cytological smear is a useful diagnostic method for the clarification of the nasal epithelium and for the detection of various cells of the immune system in the nasal mucous membrane. The aim of this work is to perform a cytological examination in patients with allergic rhinitis and systemic allergic immunotherapy in order to assess the nasal epithelium and the different cells of the immune system in this context.

Material and method:

Between 2016 and 2018, 24 patients with allergic rhinitis were treated with a systemic subcutaneous immunotherapy at the Department of Otolaryngology of the University Hospital of Saarland Homburg-Saar. In the patients, a cytological smear was taken from the lower turbinate, streaked on a microscope slide and then stained after air-drying according to the May-Grünwald-Giemsa method. The preparations were analyzed microscopically with 100-fold magnification. The total cell count per visual field was further subdivided into ciliated cells, goblet cells, eosinophils, neutrophils and lymphocytes.

Results:

In our collective were 10 men and 14 women (average age: 37 years). In the cytological examination, the goblet cells were significantly more representable than the ciliated cells (p < 0.0001). The neutrophils were significantly more frequent (p < 0.0001) than the eosinophils and lymphocytes.

Conclusion:

The significantly stronger representation of neutrophils in our patient population may be an indication of successful immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis. A comparative cytological study of patients with allergic rhinitis with and without systemic immunotherapy is necessary.

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2019 (online)